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Architecture

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The Windows Media Player control is built on DirectShow technology. DirectShow is based on Component Object Model (COM) architecture, which uses components called filters that can be plugged in to process multimedia data. Each filter is designed to receive digital input, process the data, and pass the results on to the next filter. The filters are arranged in a configuration called a filter graph.

DirectShow technology is based on several Microsoft services, including:

  • Microsoft DirectDraw® for two-dimensional graphics hardware acceleration.
  • Microsoft DirectSound for audio mixing and low-latency audio.

Filters and filter graphs can be created by implementing COM interfaces that use the class libraries and documentation provided by DirectShow. However, it is not necessary to understand Microsoft Visual C++® programming or COM to use the Windows Media Player control.

The following illustration shows the relationship between DirectShow and the Windows Media Player control.

See Also

Windows Media Player Control

Last updated on Wednesday, April 13, 2005

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